Battery storage device of vehicle

ABSTRACT

A device includes a battery case ( 42 ) that stores a battery ( 62 A or  62 B), a lock mechanism ( 133 ) that is capable of fixing and holding the stored battery ( 62 A or  62 B) in the battery case ( 42 ), and an operation member ( 44 ) that is capable of performing switching operation of the lock mechanism ( 133 ) between a battery-fixed state and a non-battery-fixed state. The lock mechanism ( 133 ) includes a movable block ( 160 ) which is supported by the battery case ( 42 ) in a displaceable manner. The movable block ( 160 ) has a battery restriction portion ( 160   b  or  160   c ) which restricts displacement of the battery ( 62 A or  62 B) in a separation direction in a state of being displaced to a battery fixing position, and a holding force receiving portion ( 160   d ) which receives a holding force for maintaining the movable block ( 160 ) at the battery fixing position from the operation member ( 44 ) in a state where the operation member ( 44 ) is operated within a predetermined positional range.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a battery storage device of a vehiclestoring a battery in an attachable/detachable manner.

BACKGROUND ART

In some electric motorcycles and the like, a battery is mounted in avehicle in an attachable/detachable manner such that the battery can bedetached from a vehicle body at the time of charging or the like of thebattery.

Regarding battery storage devices employed in vehicles of this kind,battery storage devices in which a lid member covering an upper part ofa storage opening of a battery case has a function of fixing a batteryand displacement of the battery is restricted by fixing the lid memberin a state of being closed are known.

However, in vehicles in which an input of significant vibration ispredicted during traveling, it is difficult to sufficiently curbvibration of a battery by restricting displacement of the battery usinga lid member. For this reason, development of a battery storage devicecapable of fixing a battery more firmly is desired.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1

PCT International Patent Application, Publication No. Wo2015/068753

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

A problem to be resolved is to be able to firmly fix a battery to abattery case.

Solution to Problem

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided abattery storage device of a vehicle including a battery case (42) thatstores a battery (62A or 62B), a lock mechanism (133) that is capable offixing and holding the stored battery (62A or 62B) in the battery case(42), and an operation member (44) that is capable of performingswitching operation of the lock mechanism (133) between a battery-fixedstate and a non-battery-fixed state. The lock mechanism (133) includes amovable block (160) which is supported by the battery case (42) in adisplaceable manner. The movable block (160) has a battery restrictionportion (160 b or 160 c) which restricts displacement of the battery(62A or 62B) in a separation direction in a state of being displaced toa battery fixing position, and a holding force receiving position (160d) which receives a holding force for maintaining the movable block(160) at the battery fixing position from the operation member (44) in astate where the operation member (44) is operated within a predeterminedpositional range.

According to the foregoing constitution, when the battery (62A or 62B)is fixed, first, the battery (62A or 62B) is stored inside the batterycase (42), and the operation member (44) is operated up to apredetermined positional range in the state thereof. Accordingly, themovable block (160) is displaced to the battery fixing position, and aholding force is applied from the operation member (44) to the holdingforce receiving portion (160 d) of the movable block (160) in the statethereof. Accordingly, the battery restriction portion (160 b or 160 c)of the movable block (160) is held in a state where displacement of thebattery (62A or 62B) in the separation direction is restricted.

In the battery storage device of a vehicle according to the aspect ofthe present invention, the operation member (44) is turnably supportedabout a first turning shaft (162). The movable block (160) is turnablysupported about a second turning shaft (163) orthogonal to the firstturning shaft (162).

In this case, the first turning shaft (162) turnably supporting theoperation member (44) and the second turning shaft (163) turnablysupporting the movable block (160) are orthogonal to each other.Therefore, when a load in the separation direction is input to themovable block (160) from the battery (62A or 62B) in a state wheredisplacement of the battery (62A or 62B) in the separation direction isrestricted by the battery restriction portion (160 b or 160 c) of themovable block (160), the operation member (44) is unlikely to bedisplaced integrally with the movable block (160). Therefore, when thisform is employed, displacement of the battery (62A or 62B) in theseparation direction can be restricted advantageously.

In the battery storage device of a vehicle according to the aspect ofthe present invention, the movable block (160) has a cam surface (160e-1) which comes into slide contact with the operation member (44) andreceives a turning operation force toward the battery fixing positionfrom the operation member (44) when the operation member (44) turns inone direction about the first turning shaft (162), and the cam surface(160 e-1) is continuously formed with the holding force receivingportion (160 d).

In this case, when the operation member (44) is turnably operated, theoperation member (44) firstly comes into slide contact with the camsurface (160 e-1) of the movable block (160) and turns the movable block(160) to the battery fixing position. Thereafter, the operation member(44) abuts the holding force receiving portion (160 d), such that themovable block (160) is maintained at the battery fixing position.Therefore, when this form is employed, it is possible to smoothlyperform turning displacement of the movable block (160) to the batteryfixing position and maintain a fixed state of the battery (62A or 62B)through continuous operation of the operation member (44).

In the battery storage device of a vehicle according to the aspect ofthe present invention, the first turning shaft (162) is disposed suchthat an axis (o1) of the first turning shaft (162) overlaps the battery(62A or 62B) stored in the battery case (42). The second turning shaft(163) is disposed such that an axis (o2) of the second turning shaft(163) is positioned on an outward side of the battery (62A or 62B)stored in the battery case (42).

In this case, since a turning center of the operation member (44) isdisposed at a position which does not significantly deviate from thecenter of gravity of the battery (62A or 62B) that is a heavy article,the operation member (44) can be stably subjected to turning operation.In addition, in this case, since a rotation center of the movable block(160) is positioned on the outward side of the battery (62A or 62B)inside the battery case (42), it is possible to easily avoidinterference of the movable block (160) with the battery (62A or 62B)and when the battery (62A or 62B) is inserted into the battery case (42)or is taken out from the battery case (42).

In the battery storage device of a vehicle according to the aspect ofthe present invention, the battery restriction portion (160 b or 160 c)is constituted to be positioned on the outward side of the battery (62Aor 62B) in the non-battery-fixed state in a view in an insertiondirection of the battery (62A or 62B) and to overlap the battery (62A or62B) in the battery-fixed state.

In this case, interference of the battery restriction portion (160 b or160 c) of the movable block (160) with the battery (62A or 62B) can beavoided when the battery (62A or 62B) is inserted into the battery case(42) or is taken out from the battery case (42), and displacement of thebattery (62A or 62B) in the separation direction can be restricted bythe battery restriction portion (160 b or 160 c) when the battery (62Aor 62B) is fixed to the battery case (42).

In the battery storage device of a vehicle according to the aspect ofthe present invention, the holding force receiving portion (160 d) isconstituted to overlap the operation member (44) in the battery-fixedstate in a view in a direction along the first turning shaft (162).

In this case, in a view in a direction along the first turning shaft(162), when the operation member (44) overlaps the holding forcereceiving portion (160 d) of the movable block (160), a holding forcefor maintaining the battery (62A or 62B) at the battery fixing positionacts on the holding force receiving portion (160 d) from the operationmember (44).

In the battery storage device of a vehicle according to the aspect ofthe present invention, an occupant seat (8) is provided to be turnablyflipped up above the battery case (42). The seat (8) is provided withprojections (171A and 171B) which do not come into contact with theoperation member (44) when the seat (8) is closed in a state where theoperation member (44) is turnably operated to a regular position atwhich the operation member (44) is in the battery-fixed state and abutsthe operation member (44) when the seat (8) is closed in a state wherethe operation member (44) is at a half-fixed position before theoperation member (44) arrives at the regular position.

In this case, when the operation member (44) is reliably subjected toturning operation to the regular position at which the operation member(44) is in the battery-fixed state, the seat (8) is smoothly closedwithout causing the projections (171A and 171B) and the operation member(44) to come into contact with each other. Meanwhile, when the operationmember (44) is in a state at the half-fixed position, the projections(171A and 171B) abut the operation member (44), so that a worker can beinformed of insufficient turning operation. In addition, depending on aturning stop position of the operation member (44), the operation member(44) can also be thrust to the regular position due to pressing of theoperation member (44) by the projections (171A and 171B).

Advantageous Effects of Invention

In the battery storage device of a vehicle of the present invention,displacement of a battery in the separation direction is restricted bythe battery restriction portion of the movable block in a state wherethe movable block is displaced to the battery fixing position, and themovable block can be maintained at the battery fixing position by theholding force receiving portion of the movable block receiving a holdingforce from the operation member in the state thereof. Therefore, whenthe present invention is employed, a battery can be firmly fixed to thebattery case.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a saddle-type electric vehicle accordingto the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the saddle-type electric vehicle accordingto the embodiment from which some parts are removed.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of a vehicle body frame of the saddle-typeelectric vehicle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vehicle body frame of thesaddle-type electric vehicle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the vehicle body frame of the saddle-typeelectric vehicle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the saddle-type electric vehicleaccording to the embodiment cut along line VI-VI in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main arm according to the embodimentviewed from above in front on the left side.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view illustrating a part of the saddle-typeelectric vehicle according to the embodiment in FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the saddle-type electric vehicle according tothe embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the saddle-type electric vehicleaccording to the embodiment cut along line X-X in FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the saddle-type electric vehicleaccording to the embodiment cut along line XI-XI in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a battery support frame of thesaddle-type electric vehicle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a battery storage device according tothe embodiment at the time of a non-battery-fixed state.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a part of the battery storage device accordingto the embodiment at the time of the non-battery-fixed state.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the battery storage device according tothe embodiment at the time of a battery-fixed state.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a part of the battery storage device accordingto the embodiment at the time of the battery-fixed state.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the battery storage deviceaccording to the embodiment cut along line XVII-XVII in FIG. 13.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a terminal support portion ofthe battery storage device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating a battery fixing portion ofthe battery storage device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a combined view including a side view (a), a perspective view(b), and a top view (c) of the battery storage device according to theembodiment when a battery is inserted thereinto.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating the battery fixing portion ofthe battery storage device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a combined view including a side view (a), a perspective view(b), and a top view (c) of the battery storage device according to theembodiment at the time of locking operation of the battery.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the battery storage deviceaccording to the embodiment similar to that of FIG. 17 at the time oflocking operation of the battery.

FIG. 24 is combined view including a side view (a), a perspective view(b), and a top view (c) of the battery storage device according to theembodiment at the time of locking operation of the battery.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the battery storage deviceaccording to the embodiment similar to that of FIG. 17 at the time oflocking operation of the battery.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the battery storage deviceaccording to the embodiment similar to that of FIG. 17 when locking ofthe battery is completed.

FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the battery storagedevice according to the embodiment and a seat when locking of thebattery is incomplete.

FIG. 28 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the battery storagedevice according to the embodiment and the seat when locking of thebattery is completed.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified in thefollowing description, directions to the front, the rear, the left, theright, and the like are the same as directions in a vehicle, which willbe described below. In addition, an arrow FR indicating the front sideof the vehicle, an arrow LH indicating the left side of the vehicle, andan arrow UP indicating the upper side of the vehicle are marked insuitable places in the diagrams used in the following description.

FIG. 1 is view illustrating a left side surface of an electricmotorcycle 1 which is a form of a saddle-type electric vehicle. Themotorcycle 1 of the present embodiment is a scooter-type vehicle havingstep floors 9 on which a rider sitting on a seat 8 puts soles of his/herfeet.

The motorcycle 1 includes a front wheel 3 which serves as a steeredwheel and a rear wheel 4 which serves as a driving wheel. The frontwheel 3 is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right front forks6. In addition, the front wheel 3 can be steered by a steering barhandle 2. A front fender 50F covering an upper side of the front wheel 3is supported by the front forks 6.

The rear wheel 4 is supported by a rear portion of a swing arm 20 whichis oscillatably supported by a vehicle body frame F. The motorcycle 1 ofthe present embodiment is a unit swing-type motorcycle. An electricmotor 30 for driving the vehicle and a deceleration mechanism 35 (referto FIG. 6) for decelerating a driving force of the electric motor 30 andtransmitting it to a rear wheel axle 4 a are mounted in the swing arm20. A rear fender 50R covering an upper rear portion of the rear wheel 4is supported by a rear end portion of the swing arm 20 with fendersupport arms 40 therebetween. Lower end portions of rear cushions 7(suspension components on the rear side) are joined to the fendersupport arms 40.

In addition, the motorcycle 1 includes a pair of left and right stepfloors 9 on which a rider sitting on the seat 8 puts soles of his/herfeet, and a center tunnel 10 which extends in a vehicle front-reardirection between the left and right step floors 9. The center tunnel 10is formed to be lower than the seat 8 on the front side of the seat 8. Aspace portion of the center tunnel 10 on the upper side forms astraddling space between the steering bar handle 2 and the seat 8 for arider straddling a vehicle body.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the motorcycle 1 from which the seat 8 andcovers are removed. FIG. 3 is a view of the vehicle body frame F of themotorcycle 1 viewed from the left side, and FIG. 4 is a view of thevehicle body frame F viewed from above in front on the left. Inaddition, FIG. 5 is a view of the vehicle body frame F viewed fromabove.

The vehicle body frame F is formed by integrally interlinking steelbodies of a plurality of kinds through welding or the like. The vehiclebody frame F includes a head pipe 12 in a front end portion. The headpipe 12 holds the front wheel 3 in a steerable manner with a steeringstem 11 (refer to FIGS. 1 and 2) and the left and right front forks 6therebetween.

The vehicle body frame F further includes a pair of left and right upperframes 13 which extend obliquely downward to the rear from asubstantially intermediate region of the head pipe 12 in an up-downdirection, a pair of left and right lower frames 14 which extend to therear of the vehicle body after extending downward from a lower portionregion of the head pipe 12 and extend upward in a state of incliningslightly rearward from the rear end portion thereof, and a pair of leftand right seat frames 15 which extend obliquely upward to the rear fromsubstantially intermediate positions in the left and right upper frames13 in a front-rear direction. The lower frame 14 has a down frameportion 14 a which extends downward to the rear from the head pipe 12,and a rear frame portion 14 b extending upward from the rear portion ofthe down frame portion 14 a.

An upper end portion of each of the left and right rear frame portions14 b is coupled to the corresponding left or right seat frame 15 at asubstantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction. Theseat 8 on which an occupant sits is attached to upper portions of theleft and right seat frames 15. The seat 8 can be opened upward andclosed downward using a front end side as a hinge pivot point.

In addition, rear end portions of the left and right upper frames 13 arecoupled to parts in the vicinity of lower ends of the corresponding leftand right rear frame portions 14 b.

In each of the left and right lower frames 14, an upper portion regionof a downward extending portion 14 a-1 and a rear portion region of arearward extending portion 14 a-2 of the down frame portion 14 a arejoined to each other by a middle frame 16. The downward extendingportions 14 a-1 of the left and right down frame portions 14 a arejoined to each other by a front cross member 18. In addition, front endregions of the rearward extending portions 14 a-2 of the left and rightdown frame portions 14 a are joined to each other by a lower front crossmember 19. Rear end regions of the rearward extending portions 14 a-2 ofthe left and right down frame portions 14 a are joined to each other bya cross frame 51. The front cross member 18 and the lower front crossmember 19 are formed of round steel tubes having smaller diameters thanthe lower frames 14. The front cross member 18 extends linearly in avehicle width direction, and the lower front cross member 19 extends ina curved shape projecting forward. The cross frame 51 extends linearlyin the vehicle width direction and is formed of a round steel tubehaving substantially the same diameter as those of the lower frames 14.

In the left and right seat frames 15, front portion regions are joinedto each other by a center cross member 52, and rear end portions arejoined to each other by a rear cross member 53 and a rear cross plate54. The center cross member 52 extends in a curved shape projectingupward to the front, and the rear cross member 53 extends linearly inthe vehicle width direction. The center cross member 52 is formed of around steel tube having a smaller diameter than the seat frames 15, andthe rear cross member 53 is formed of a round steel tube havingsubstantially the same diameter as those of the seat frames 15.

In addition, the rear frame portion 14 b of each of the left and rightlower frames 14 and the rear portion region of the corresponding left orright seat frame 15 are joined to each other by a support frame 17. Therear portion regions of the left and right support frames 17 are joinedto each other by a rear cross member 55. The rear cross member 55extends in a curved shape projecting downward. The rear cross member 55is formed of a round steel tube having substantially the same diameteras those of the support frames 17.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a cross section of the motorcycle 1 cutalong line VI-VI in FIG. 1.

The swing arm 20 includes a main arm 21 which extends toward the leftside of the rear wheel 4 from the front side of the rear wheel 4, and asub-arm 22 which extends while being curved inward in the vehicle widthdirection toward the right side of the rear wheel 4 from a front rightside portion of the main arm 21. In the diagram, the reference sign CLindicates a center line of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction.

A motor accommodation portion 23 for accommodating the electric motor 30and a deceleration mechanism accommodation portion 24 for accommodatingthe deceleration mechanism 35 are provided in the main arm 21.

The motor accommodation portion 23 includes an inner cover 23 a whichcovers the electric motor 30 from the inward side in the vehicle widthdirection, and an outer cover 23 b which covers the electric motor 30from the outward side in the vehicle width direction.

The inner cover 23 a exhibits a box shape opening outward in the vehiclewidth direction. The inner cover 23 a is formed integrally with an armmain body portion 21 a of the main arm 21. The outer cover 23 b iscoupled to the inner cover 23 a using fastening members such as bolts.

FIG. 7 is a view of the main arm 21 viewed from above in front on theleft side.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the main arm 21 has an arm base portion21 c which extends in the vehicle width direction in front of the rearwheel 4, and the arm main body portion 21 a which extends toward therear side of the vehicle body from an end portion of the arm baseportion 21 c on the left side. The sub-arm 22 is coupled to a right sidesurface of the arm base portion 21 c. Extending pieces 21 b extendingforward protrude in both left and right end portions of the arm baseportion 21 c. Insertion holes 56 are formed to penetrate the left andright extending pieces 21 b in the vehicle width direction. A pivot 57(which will be described below in detail) is turnably held in theinsertion holes 56. An upper surface from the left and right extendingpieces 21 b to the arm base portion 21 c extends in a manner ofinclining upward to the rear. This part is an upward inclination portion58 extending in a manner of inclining upward to the rear from a jointportion with respect to the pivot 57.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the electric motor 30 is held by the main arm21 of the swing arm 20 and is disposed on the left side of the rearwheel 4. The electric motor 30 is an inner rotor-type motor and includesan inner rotor 32 having a motor output shaft 31, and a stator 33. Theelectric motor 30 is disposed in a rear portion region of the main arm21 of the swing arm 20.

The motor output shaft 31 is pivotally supported by the main arm 21 inthe vehicle width direction. The motor output shaft 31 has an axis Cm1(which will hereinafter be referred to as “a motor axis Cm1”) parallelto a rear wheel axis CR (axis of the rear wheel axle 4 a). The referencesigns 34 a to 34 c in FIG. 6 indicate bearings rotatably supporting themotor output shaft 31.

The inner rotor 32 includes an inner rotor main body 32 a which has atubular shape, and a magnet 32 b which is provided on an outercircumferential surface of the inner rotor main body 32 a. A centralportion of the inner rotor main body 32 a in a radial direction isspline-coupled to the motor output shaft 31. A detection object 32 c isattached to the outer circumferential surface of an inner end portion ofthe inner rotor main body 32 a in the vehicle width direction.

The stator 33 includes an annular stator yoke 33 a which is fixed to anouter circumferential wall of the inner cover 23 a, a plurality of teeth33 b which are interlinked to the stator yoke 33 a and are providedradially with respect to the motor axis Cm1, and coils 33 c which arewound around the respective teeth 33 b. A rotor sensor 33 d detecting arotation position of the inner rotor 32 by detecting the passingdetection object 32 c is attached to the stator yoke 33 a.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view illustrating a part near a support portion ofthe swing arm 20 in FIG. 2.

As illustrated in the same diagram, an electric cable 60 is connected tothe electric motor 30. The electric cable 60 is a cable for electricallyconnecting a power supply unit on the vehicle body frame F side andthree-phase coils 33 c of the electric motor 30 to each other, and abundle of three-phase electric wires 60 u, 60 v, and 60 w is surroundedand covered by a protective material 61 (refer to FIG. 11). The electriccable 60 has a thickness which is sufficiently thick, and the largestouter diameter of the protective material 61 is larger than an outerdiameter of the pivot 57. The electric cable 60 connected to theelectric motor 30 is drawn out forward along a side surface of the armmain body portion 21 a of the swing arm 20 on the outward side in thevehicle width direction. As illustrated in FIG. 8, a wiring portion ofthe electric cable 60 on a side of the arm main body portion 21 a iscovered by an arm cover 39 attached to the arm main body portion 21 a.

Here, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the power supply unit for the electricmotor 30 has a pair of batteries 62A and 62B which store power, and apower drive unit (PDU) 63 which converts DC power of these batteries 62Aand 62B into AC power. The three-phase electric wires 60 u, 60 v, and 60w of the electric cable 60 are connected to the power drive unit 63. Inaddition, the batteries 62A and 62B and the power drive unit 63 areconnected to each other through different electric cables (notillustrated).

The power drive unit 63 is disposed in a region surrounded by the leftand right down frame portions 14 a of the lower frames 14 and the leftand right upper frames 13 of the vehicle body frame F, and it ispositioned in an inward region between the left and right middle frames16 in the vehicle width direction. The power drive unit 63 is disposedin a space portion below the center tunnel 10 in a state of incliningslightly forward.

The batteries 62A and 62B are disposed side by side in the front-reardirection inside a battery storage device 64 provided below the seat 8.Both the batteries 62A and 62B are formed to have substantiallyrectangular parallelepiped shapes and have the same constitutions. Thebatteries 62A and 62B are wired in series, so that a predetermined highvoltage (for example, 48 V to 72 V) can be obtained. For example, thebatteries 62A and 62B are constituted of lithium-ion batteries as energystorages capable of charging and discharging.

In addition, the electric motor 30 is controlled by a control unit (notillustrated). The control unit receives information from a throttleopening sensor and the like (not illustrated) and outputs apredetermined control signal to a driver of the electric motor 30 inaccordance with operation intention of a rider, traveling conditions,and the like.

In addition, the deceleration mechanism 35 illustrated in FIG. 6includes a transmission shaft 36 which is pivotally supported parallelto the motor output shaft 31 and the rear wheel axle 4 a, a pair offirst gears 37 a and 37 b which are respectively provided in an innerend portion of the motor output shaft 31 in the vehicle width directionand an inward portion of the transmission shaft 36 in the vehicle widthdirection, and a pair of second gears 38 a and 38 b which arerespectively provided in an outward portion of the transmission shaft 36in the vehicle width direction and a left end portion of the rear wheelaxle 4 a. The reference signs 4 b to 4 d in FIG. 6 indicate bearingsrotatably supporting the rear wheel axle 4 a.

The motor output shaft 31, the transmission shaft 36, and the rear wheelaxle 4 a are disposed at intervals in the front-rear direction in orderfrom the front side. The transmission shaft 36 has an axis Ct1 (whichwill hereinafter be referred to as “a transmission axis Ct1”) parallelto the motor axis Cm1. The reference signs 39 a and 39 b in FIG. 6indicate bearings rotatably supporting the transmission shaft 36.

Due to the foregoing constitution of the deceleration mechanism 35,rotation of the motor output shaft 31 is decelerated at a predetermineddeceleration rate and is transmitted to the rear wheel axle 4 a.

FIG. 9 is a view of a part near the support portion of the swing arm 20viewed from below the vehicle. In addition, FIG. 10 is a viewillustrating a cross section cut along line X-X in FIG. 8, and FIG. 11is a view illustrating a cross section cut along line XI-XI in FIG. 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 and these diagrams, an arm support member 65protruding toward the rear of the vehicle is attached to lower portionregions of the rear frame portions 14 b of the left and right lowerframes 14. The pivot 57 oscillatably supporting a front portion of theswing arm 20 is held in the vicinity of a rear end portion of the armsupport member 65. The arm support member 65, of which a detailedconstitution will be described below, is formed to have substantially atriangle shape in a side view in which one vertex sandwiched between twosides protrudes to the rear side of the vehicle. The pivot 57 is heldnear the vertex protruding to the rear of the vehicle.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, battery support stays 66 forsupporting the battery storage device 64 are coupled to the respectiveleft and right rear frame portions 14 b of the vehicle body frame F atsubstantially intermediate positions in the up-down direction. Thebattery support stays 66 extend toward the rear side of the vehicle bodyfrom the rear frame portions 14 b. In addition, sub-stays 67 extendingupward to the rear are attached at positions slightly below couplingportions of the battery support stays 66 with respect to the left andright rear frame portions 14 b. Rear end portions of the sub-stays 67are coupled to rear portion regions of the battery support stays 66 frombelow.

A first support bracket 68 a and a second support bracket 68 bconstituted of metal plates are attached to the lower portion region ofeach of the left and right rear frame portions 14 b and thecorresponding left or right sub-stay 67. The first support bracket 68 ais interlinked to the rear frame portion 14 b and an outward region ofthe sub-stay 67 in the vehicle width direction, and the second supportbracket 68 b is interlinked to the rear frame portion 14 b and an inwardregion of the sub-stay 67 in the vehicle width direction. As illustratedin FIG. 10, upper portion regions of the first support bracket 68 a andthe second support bracket 68 b are separated from each other with apredetermined distance therebetween, and a bush 69 is disposed inside aspace portion of the separation therebetween. Regarding the bush 69, anelastic rubber body (not illustrated) is attached inside a metal tube,and a metal shaft portion 69 a is attached to a shaft center portion ofthe elastic rubber body. The shaft portion 69 a penetrates the bush 69in an axial direction, and the left and right end portions thereof arefastened and fixed to the upper portion regions of the first supportbracket 68 a and the second support bracket 68 b. In addition, an uppersupport arm 70 extending in a manner of inclining obliquely downward tothe rear is joined to an outer surface of the bush 69. As illustrated inFIG. 10, the upper support arm 70 is formed to have substantially adistorted U-shaped cross section and inclines inward in the vehiclewidth direction toward the rear side of the vehicle body.

The upper support arms 70 integrally coupled to the bushes 69 areprovided symmetrically on both sides of the vehicle in the vehicle widthdirection. End portions of rear portions of the left and right uppersupport arms 70 are coupled to the respective left and right endportions of a joint rod 71 extending linearly in the vehicle widthdirection.

In addition, in the first support bracket 68 a and the second supportbracket 68 b, lower portion regions of both thereof are interlinked toeach other below the respective left and right rear frame portions 14 b.Hereinafter, interlink portions of the lower portion regions will bereferred to as “lower interlink portions of the support brackets 68 aand 68 b”. Both end portions of the cross frame 51 extending linearly inthe vehicle width direction are coupled to the lower interlink portionsof the support brackets 68 a and 68 b on both sides in the vehicle widthdirection. The cross frame 51 is formed of a round steel tube havingsubstantially the same diameter as those of the rear frame portions 14b.

A pair of rearward-extending rods 73 extending toward the rear side ofthe vehicle body are coupled to the cross frame 51. Therearward-extending rods 73 are coupled to a rear side surface of thecross frame 51 at two positions separated from each other on the leftand right. A support pipe 74 extending linearly in the vehicle widthdirection is coupled to the rear end portions of the left and rightrearward-extending rods 73. The pivot 57 is turnably inserted throughthe support pipe 74. Both end portions of the pivot 57 are supported bythe left and right extending pieces 21 b at the front end of the swingarm 20. Therefore, the front end portion of the swing arm 20 isoscillatably supported by the support pipe 74. In the diagram, thereference sign o1 indicates an axis of the pivot 57 in the vehicle widthdirection.

In addition, the joint rod 71 to which the rear end portions of the leftand right upper support arms 70 are joined is coupled to rear-sidedintermediate regions of the left and right rearward-extending rods 73.Therefore, the intermediate regions of the left and rightrearward-extending rods 73 are supported by the left and right rearframe portions 14 b with a pair of upper support arms 70 extending in amanner of inclining obliquely upward to the front side of the vehiclebody therebetween. In the case of the present embodiment, the left andright upper support arms 70 constitute downward-inclining portionsextending in a manner of inclining downward to the rear from the rearframe portions 14 b.

The arm support member 65 in present embodiment is constituted of thecross frame 51, the rearward-extending rods 73, the support pipe 74, theupper support arms 70, the joint rod 71, and the like which have beendescribed above.

Here, a routing space 75 for routing the electric cable 60 is securedabove a region straddling the front portion regions of the arm supportmember 65 and the swing arm 20. This routing space 75 is a spacesurrounded by the arm support member 65, the swing arm 20, and thebattery storage device 64. In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and11, the upper support arms 70 (downward-inclining portions) of the armsupport member 65 and the upward inclination portion 58 of the frontportion region of the swing arm 20 form a recessed portion 76 havingsubstantially a V shape in a side view. This recessed portion 76constitutes a part of the routing space 75, such that at least a part ofthe electric cable 60 is routed therein.

In the arm main body portion 21 a of the swing arm 20 on the left side,as illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 11, the electric cable 60 drawn out forwardfrom a connection portion with respect to the electric motor 30 is bentto the right side from a position on the left side in the vehicle widthdirection near a part above the left side portion of the pivot 57 and isdrawn out forward at a position on the right side in the vehicle widthdirection. The electric cable 60 drawn out forward is connected to thepower drive unit 63 in the space portion between the rear frame portions14 b on the front side. As illustrated in FIG. 9, in a region of theelectric cable 60 bent to the right side from the left side in thevehicle width direction on the front portion side of the swing arm 20,at least a part is disposed in the routing space 75 such that itoverlaps the axis o1 of the pivot 57 in a top view.

In addition, a part of a region of the electric cable 60 bent to theright side from the left side in the vehicle width direction on thefront portion side of the swing arm 20 is supported by a lower end of abattery support frame 110 constituting a skeleton portion of the batterystorage device 64. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 11, in astraddling part of the electric cable 60 below the battery storagedevice 64 from the left to the right, a clamp component 130 for holdingthe electric cable 60 is attached, and the clamp component 130 isfastened and fixed to a cable support bracket 131 (cable supportportion) provided at a lower end of the battery support frame 110.

FIG. 12 is a view of the battery support frame 110 viewed from above infront on the left.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, resin case portions 132F and 132R foraccommodating the batteries 62A and 62B in an attachable/detachablemanner are attached to the inward side of the battery support frame 110.The resin case portions 132F and 132R are disposed side by side in thefront-rear direction inside the battery support frame 110. Each of theresin case portions 132F and 132R has an inserting/removing port 136(refer to FIGS. 13 and 15) opening upward. A battery accommodationportion inside each of the resin case portions 132F and 132R inclinesobliquely downward to the front. The batteries 62A and 62B are setinside the resin case portions 132F and 132R when they obliquely slideinto the resin case portions 132F and 132R through theinserting/removing ports 136. The batteries 62A and 62B are obliquelyinserted into and removed from the resin case portions 132F and 132R,weights of the batteries 62A and 62B are partially supported by wallportions of the resin case portions 132F and 132R.

The batteries 62A and 62B set inside the resin case portions 132F and132R are fixed to the resin case portions 132F and 132R and the batterysupport frame 110 by lock mechanisms 133 (battery fixing means)illustrated in FIG. 8, and terminal portions 41 (refer to FIG. 17, whichwill be described below) are connected to case side connection terminals43 (refer to FIG. 17) inside each of the resin case portions 132F and132R.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the battery support frame 110 includes afirst support frame 111 for supporting the resin case portion 132F(refer to FIG. 8) on the front side, a second support frame 112 forsupporting the resin case portion 132R (refer to FIG. 8) on the rearside, and a joint frame 113 for joining the first support frame 111 andthe second support frame 112 to each other.

The first support frame 111 has a pair of left and right side frameportions 115L and 115R which extend vertically in a manner of incliningslightly in the front-rear direction along an inclined posture (refer toFIG. 8) of the resin case portion 132F on the front side, a cross pipe116 which joins the lower end portions of the left and right side frameportions 115L and 115R to each other, and a front frame portion 117 ofwhich both side portions are coupled to the lower portion regions of theleft and right side frame portions 115L and 115R. The front frameportion 117 extends in the vehicle width direction in a curved shapeprojecting forward. The front frame portion 117 is disposed in the frontportion region of the resin case portion 132F on the front side.

The left and right side frame portions 115L and 115R extend in alongitudinal direction (substantially in the up-down direction) with ahat-shaped cross section opening on the inward side in the vehicle widthdirection. Attachment brackets 118 for attaching the battery supportframe 110 to the vehicle body frame F (refer to FIG. 8) are provided inupper end portions of the side frame portions 115L and 115R. A femalescrew portion 118 a to which a bolt can be screwed is provided in theattachment bracket 118. The attachment bracket 118 is fastened and fixedto a fixing bracket 105 (refer to FIGS. 8 and the like) provided in thecorresponding left or right seat frame 15 in front of the rear frameportion 14 b of the vehicle body frame F.

A female screw portion 116 a to which a bolt can be screwed is providedin both end portions of the cross pipe 116. The cable support bracket131 described above is coupled to the cross pipe 116. The electric cable60 is held by the cross pipe 116 of the battery support frame 110 withthe cable support bracket 131 therebetween. Both end portions of thecross pipe 116 are fastened and fixed to fixing brackets 106 (refer toFIGS. 8 and the like) provided in the corresponding left and right rearframe portions 14 b of the vehicle body frame F.

The second support frame 112 has a pair of left and right side frameportions 121L and 121R which extend vertically in a manner of incliningslightly in the front-rear direction along an inclined posture (refer toFIG. 8) of the resin case portion 132R on the rear side, a cross pipe122 which joins the lower end portions of the left and right side frameportions 121L and 121R to each other, and a rear frame portion 123 ofwhich both side portions are coupled to central regions of the left andright side frame portions 121L and 121R in the up-down direction. Therear frame portions 123 extend in the vehicle width direction in acurved shape projecting rearward. The rear frame portions 123 aredisposed in the rear portion regions of the resin case portion 132R onthe rear side.

The left and right side frame portions 121L and 121R extend in thelongitudinal direction (substantially in the up-down direction) with ahat-shaped cross section opening on the inward side in the vehicle widthdirection. Attachment brackets 124 for attaching the battery supportframe 110 to the vehicle body frame F (refer to FIG. 8) are provided inupper end portions of the side frame portions 121L and 121R. A femalescrew portion 124 a to which a bolt can be screwed is provided in theattachment bracket 124. The attachment bracket 124 is fastened and fixedto a fixing bracket 107 (refer to FIGS. 8 and the like) provided in thecorresponding left or right support frame 17 of the vehicle body frameF.

A female screw portion 122 a to which a bolt can be screwed is providedin both end portions of the cross pipe 122. Both end portions of thecross pipe 122 are fastened and fixed to a fixing bracket 108 (refer toFIGS. 8 and the like) provided in the corresponding left or rightbattery support stay 66 of the vehicle body frame F.

The joint frame 113 has joint side frame portions 127L and 127R forrespectively joining the side frame portions 115L and 121L and the sideframe portions 115R and 121R of the first support frame 111 and thesecond support frame 112 on the same sides of the left and the right toeach other, and a joint cross frame portion 128 for joiningsubstantially central portions of the left and right joint side frameportions 127L and 127R in the front-rear direction to each other. Theresin case portion 132F on the front side is disposed on the front sideof the joint cross frame portion 128, and the resin case portion 132R onthe rear side is disposed on the rear side of the joint cross frameportion 128. <Battery Storage Device>

FIGS. 13 and 15 are views of the battery storage device 64 viewedobliquely from above in front on the left, and FIGS. 14 and 16 are viewsof a part of the battery storage device 64 viewed from the left side.FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate the battery storage device 64 at the time ofa non-battery-fixed state, and FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate the batterystorage device 64 at the time of a battery-fixed state. In FIGS. 14 and16, for the sake of convenience of illustration, the resin case portion132F is removed. FIG. 17 is a view illustrating a cross section cutalong line XVII-XVII in FIG. 13.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, each of the batteries 62A and 62B has theterminal portions 41 inside a recessed portion on a lower surfacethereof. The terminal portions 41 are disposed on the front-sided lowersurface of each of the batteries 62A and 62B. The terminal portions 41are electrically connected to the power drive unit 63 and the controlunit (not illustrated) through the case side connection terminals 43provided in the battery storage device 64. The terminal portions 41supply battery voltages to the electric motor 30 via the power driveunit 63 (refer to FIG. 2) and output information (information of avoltage, a temperature, and the like) of each of the batteries 62A and62B to the control unit.

The battery storage device 64 includes a battery case 42 which storesthe batteries 62A and 62B, the case side connection terminals 43 whichare connected to the terminal portions 41 of the batteries 62A and 62Bwhen the batteries 62A and 62B are stored, terminal displacementmechanisms 45 which cause the case side connection terminals 43 to bedisplaced between a connection position P1 (refer to FIGS. 17, 25, and26) contact-connected to the terminal portions 41 of the batteries 62Aand 62B and a retreat position P2 separated downward from the connectionposition P1, the lock mechanisms 133 which can fix and hold thebatteries 62A and 62B in the battery case 42, and operation levers 44(operation members) which can switch the lock mechanisms 133 between thebattery-fixed state and the non-battery-fixed state and can operate theterminal displacement mechanisms 45.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the retreat position P2 is a position atwhich the case side connection terminals 43 are away from the terminalportions 41 of the battery 62A (62B) in an entering direction (downward)of the battery 62A (62B) when a bottom portion 62-B of the battery 62A(62B) abuts a case side abutment portion 42-B of the battery case 42.

The battery case 42 has the battery support frame 110 which has beendescribed above, support stays 135 (refer to FIGS. 14 and 16) which arefastened and fixed to the respective upper portions of the side frameportions 115L and 115R, and 121L and 121R at the front and the rear inthe battery support frame 110, and the resin case portions 132F and 132Rwhich are disposed at the front and the rear inside the battery supportframe 110. The case side connection terminals 43 and the terminaldisplacement mechanisms 45 are disposed on the respective lower portionsides of the resin case portions 132F and 132R at the front and therear. In addition, the operation levers 44 and the lock mechanisms 133are provided such that they correspond to the case side connectionterminals 43 and the terminal displacement mechanisms 45 on therespective lower portion sides of the resin case portions 132F and 132Rat the front and the rear. The case side connection terminals 43, theterminal displacement mechanisms 45, the operation levers 44, the lockmechanisms 133, and the like corresponding to the respective resin caseportions 132F and 132R at the front and the rear have similarconstitutions. Hereinafter, regarding details of these, only thosecorresponding to the resin case portion 132F on the front side will bedescribed, and description for those corresponding to the resin caseportion 132R on the rear side will be omitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the terminal portions 41 of the battery 62A(62B) have a pair of high voltage terminals 47 for outputting power ofthe battery 62A (62B) to the power drive unit 63, and a plurality ofsignal terminals 48 for outputting various kinds of information of thebattery 62A (62B) to the control unit.

As illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 15, the resin case portions 132F and 132Rhave the inserting/removing ports 136 opening upward, and the batteries62A and 62B can be stored and taken out through the inserting/removingports 136. Both the resin case portions 132F and 132R at the front andthe rear incline forward to the lower side. As illustrated in FIG. 8, abottom wall of each of the resin case portions 132F and 132R inclinesdownward to the rear.

As illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 15, a circumferential wall 137 a of aluggage box 137 is disposed in an upper portion of the battery supportframe 110. The luggage box 137 is a resin box in which a box main bodyis at the rear of the battery storage device 64 and articles can bestored therein. The circumferential wall 137 a of the luggage box 137extends forward from the box main body of the luggage box 137 andsurrounds the sides on the left and the right on the upper portion sideof the resin case portions 132F and 132R at the front and the rear inthe battery storage device 64 and the front of the resin case portion132F on the front side. The upper portion of the circumferential wall137 a of the luggage box 137 is closed by the seat 8 (refer to FIGS. 1,27, and 28) on which an occupant sits. The seat 8 can be opened upwardand closed downward using the front end side as a hinge pivot point.Upper portions of the luggage box 137 and the battery storage device 64are opened and closed by the seat 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, an opening portion 138 allowing insertion andseparation of the case side connection terminals 43 from below isprovided in a front-sided bottom wall of the resin case portion 132F(132R). The case side connection terminals 43 and a terminal supportblock 139 integrally supporting the case side connection terminals 43are disposed below the opening portion 138 such that they can moveupward and downward.

FIG. 18 is a view of the case side connection terminals 43 and a supportportion thereof viewed obliquely from above.

As illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18, the case side connection terminals 43include a pair of high voltage terminal pins 140 which can be fitted andconnected to the high voltage terminals 47 on the battery 62A (62B)side, and a plurality of signal terminal pins 141 which can be fittedand connected to signal terminals 48 on the battery 62A (62B) side. Thehigh voltage terminal pins 140 and the signal terminal pins 141 aredisposed side by side in a row in the vehicle width direction. The highvoltage terminal pins 140 are respectively disposed on the outward sidesof the plurality of signal terminal pins 141 in the vehicle widthdirection. In each of the high voltage terminal pins 140 disposed onboth sides in the vehicle width direction, the height of the upper endportion is higher than the heights of the upper end portions of thesignal terminal pins 141. For this reason, when the case side connectionterminals 43 are displaced integrally with the terminal support block139 from the retreat position P2 to the connection position P1, the highvoltage terminal pins 140 come into contact with the terminal portions41 on the battery 62A (62B) side prior to the signal terminal pins 141.

In addition, cable connection walls 143 for connecting power cables 142(electric wires) to the high voltage terminal pins 140 and signal wireconnection portions 145 for connecting signal wires 144 (electric wires)to the signal terminal pins 141 are provided at a lower end of theterminal support block 139. The cable connection walls 143 arerespectively disposed on the outward sides of the signal wire connectionportions 145 in the vehicle width direction. Bolts 146 for connectingmetal lead wires of the power cables 142 to the high voltage terminalpins 140 are fastened to the cable connection walls 143 from the outwardsides in the vehicle width direction. The bolts 146 constitute fixingmeans for electrically connecting the power cables 142 to the highvoltage terminal pins 140 and physically and firmly connecting andfixing the same.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, a cable support bracket 201 is attached tothe terminal support block 139. The power cables 142 and the signalwires 144 bundled by a clamp device 202 are held by the cable supportbracket 201. The cable support bracket 201 is supported by a stay (notillustrated) protruding downward from a one-sided lower end portion ofthe terminal support block 139 in the vehicle width direction. The cablesupport bracket 201 is curved substantially in a J-shape in the vehiclewidth direction such that it lies in a drawing direction of the powercables 142 and the signal wires 144 after extending downward from theterminal support block 139 side. The clamp device 202 is supported on adistal end side of a curved portion of the cable support bracket 201. Alower end of the cable support bracket 201 and the clamp device 202 arepositioned below the cable connection walls 143 and the signal wireconnection portions 145 of the terminal support block 139.

A pair of guide projections 147 (case side guide portions) protrudeupward at positions on the outward sides of the case side connectionterminals 43 of the terminal support block 139 in the vehicle widthdirection. Each of the guide projections 147 is formed to havesubstantially a columnar shape in its entirety, and a curved surfacehaving a spherical surface shape or a tapered surface having a taperedshape is provided in a distal end portion thereof. Each of the left andright guide projections 147 protrudes upward beyond the upper endportions of the high voltage terminal pins 140 and the signal terminalpins 141 of the case side connection terminals 43.

Meanwhile, a pair of guide holes 148 which can receive the left andright guide projections 147 on the terminal support block 139 side areprovided on the lower surface of the battery 62A (62B) stored in theresin case portion 132F (132R). The guide holes 148 constitutebattery-side guide portions. Here, when the case side connectionterminals 43 rise toward the connection position P1 (refer to FIGS. 17,25, and 26) in a state where the battery 62A (62B) is stored inside theresin case portion 132F (132R), the guide projections 147 are insertedinto the guide holes 148 before the case side connection terminals 43are contact-connected to the terminal portions 41 of the battery 62A(62B). In the case of the present embodiment, when the case sideconnection terminals 43 are at the retreat position P2, the guideprojections 147 are set such that a separation distance L1 between theguide projections 147 and abutment portions of the guide holes 148 isshorter than a separation distance L2 between the case side connectionterminals 43 and the terminal portions 41 of the battery 62A (62B). Asillustrated in FIG. 17, upper ends 147 e of the guide projections 147which are guide ends of the guide projections 147 in a battery directionare formed on a side (battery side) above upper ends 140 e of the highvoltage terminal pins 140 which are terminal ends of the case sideconnection terminals 43 in the battery direction.

The terminal displacement mechanism 45 includes a terminal holdingmember 149 for holding the case side connection terminals 43 with theterminal support block 139 therebetween. The terminal holding member 149is formed of a metal plate material and has a base wall 149 a whichextends in the vehicle width direction and a pair of left and rightjoint walls 149 b which are bent and extend to the upper side from bothend portions of the base wall 149 a in the vehicle width direction. Aninsertion hole 150 having a long hole shape is formed in a centralregion of the base wall 149 a in the vehicle width direction. Theterminal support block 139 is held on a lower surface side of the basewall 149 a with joint pins 151 and spring units 152 therebetween. A partof the terminal support block 139 held by the base wall 149 a, and thecase side connection terminals 43 protrude to the upper side of the basewall 149 a through the insertion hole 150.

Insertion holes 153, through which the joint pins 151 are inserted, areformed in both edge portions of the terminal support block 139 in thevehicle width direction. The inner diameters of the insertion holes 153are formed to be larger than the outer diameters of the joint pins 151.The terminal support block 139 can be displaced substantially in ahorizontal direction (direction intersecting a connection direction withrespect to the terminal portions 41) within a range of gaps between theinsertion holes 153 and the joint pins 151. Therefore, the case sideconnection terminals 43 supported by the terminal support block 139 areheld by the terminal holding member 149 such that they can be relativelydisplaced in a direction intersecting the connection direction withrespect to the terminal portions 41.

The joint pins 151 are inserted into support holes 198 provided in thebase wall 149 a of the terminal holding member 149 in a slidable manner.Retaining flanges 151 a are integrally provided in upper end portions ofthe joint pins 151. The joint pins 151 are retained with respect to thebase wall 149 a due to the retaining flanges 151 a abutting an uppersurface of the base wall 149 a.

The spring unit 152 has a metal unit case 154 which has a bottomedcylindrical shape, a stopper plate 155 which has a disk shape such thatit can abut an opening end of the unit case 154, and a coil spring 156which is an elastic member interposed between an inner bottom surface ofthe unit case 154 and the stopper plate 155. The spring units 152 aredisposed below the base wall 149 a in a state where outer bottomsurfaces of the unit cases 154 abut the lower surface of the base wall149 a. The joint pins 151 penetrate the bottom walls of the unit cases154 and are coupled to the stopper plates 155 below the unit cases 154.In addition, the coil springs 156 are disposed in surrounding areas ofthe joint pins 151.

The case side connection terminals 43 and the terminal support block 139are supported by the terminal holding member 149 in a suspended mannerwith the spring units 152 and the joint pins 151 therebetween. The unitcases 154 and the stopper plates 155 are maintained in a separated stateuntil a pressing load at a predetermined level or higher is input to thecase side connection terminals 43 from above. When a pressing load at apredetermined level or higher is input to the case side connectionterminals 43 from this state, the terminal support block 139 compressesthe coil springs 156 such that they are displaced, and thus the terminalsupport block 139 is relatively displaced downward with respect to theterminal holding member 149. In this manner, when the terminal supportblock 139 is relatively displaced by a predetermined amount or more withrespect to the terminal holding member 149, the stopper plates 155 abutthe unit cases 154. Accordingly, relative displacement of the terminalsupport block 139 (case side connection terminals 43) with respect tothe terminal holding member 149 is restricted (refer to FIG. 26).

Each of the left and right joint walls 149 b of the terminal holdingmember 149 is turnably held by a lower end of a metal link plate 157 inthe lower portion region on the outward side of the side portion of theresin case portion 132F (132R). The link plate 157 is a plate memberelongated in one direction extending substantially in the up-downdirection. The upper end portion of each of the left and right linkplates 157 is turnably joined to a distal end of each of the left andright lever pieces 44 a of the operation lever 44 serving as operationmembers. The intermediate regions of the left and right lever pieces 44a in an extending direction are turnably pivoted by the respective leftand right support stays 135 attached to the battery support frame 110.When the operation lever 44 is turnably operated in one direction(clockwise direction in FIGS. 14 and 16), the respective left and rightlink plates 157 are pulled up to the upper side. Accordingly, each ofthe left and right joint walls 149 b of the terminal holding member 149is displaced to the upper side. At this time, the case side connectionterminals 43 held by the terminal holding member 149 are displaced fromthe retreat position P2 to the connection position P1.

The reference sign 197 in FIGS. 14 and 16 indicates a reinforced framewhich is attached to a part in the vicinity of the lower ends of theleft and right support stays 135 and reinforces a surrounding area ofthe resin case portion 132F (132R).

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the lower ends of the respective left andright link plates 157 and the left and right joint walls 149 b of theterminal holding member 149 are associated with each other with turningpins 158 inserted into long holes 159. The turning pins 158 aresupported by the respective left and right joint walls 149 b, and thelong holes 159 are formed in the link plates 157. For this reason, whenthe link plates 157 are pulled upward due to operation of the operationlever 44, the turning pins 158 freely play inside the long holes 159 asmuch as the amount of a predetermined stroke of the link plates 157, asillustrated in (I) and (II) of FIG. 17(B). As a result, a timing for theterminal holding member 149 starting upward displacement is delayed withrespect to start of operation of the operation lever 44.

FIG. 17(B) is a view illustrating an operation state of the part E inFIG. 17(A).

In addition, the lock mechanism 133 for fixing the battery 62A (62B) tothe battery case 42 includes a movable block 160. The movable block 160is attached to upper end portions of the left and right support stays135 of the battery case 42 in a turnable (displaceable) manner. When theoperation lever 44 is turned from an initial position within apredetermined position range, the movable block 160 receives anoperation force from the operation lever 44 and is turned in an uppersurface direction of the battery case 42. The movable block 160 ispressed to an upper surface of the battery 62A (62B) and restrictsdisplacement of the battery 62A (62B) in a releasing direction.

FIG. 19 is a view of the operation lever 44 and the movable block 160viewed from above in front on the right of the support stay 135 on theleft side.

The operation lever 44 is turnably supported by the support stay 135about a first turning shaft 162. The first turning shaft 162 is a shaftwhich is pivotally supported by a front-sided part substantially at thecenter of the support stay 135 in the up-down direction and is disposedin the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. In some diagrams, onlythe shaft center o1 of the first turning shaft 162 is illustrated.

The movable block 160 of the lock mechanism 133 is turnably supported bythe support stay 135 about a second turning shaft 163 orthogonal to thefirst turning shaft 162. The second turning shaft 163 is a shaft whichis pivotally supported by the upper end portion of the support stay 135and is disposed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

In the case of the present embodiment, the first turning shaft 162 isdisposed such that the axis o1 of the first turning shaft 162 overlapsthe battery 62A (62B) stored in the resin case portion 132F (132R)(refer to FIGS. 20(c), 22(c), 24(c), and the like). In addition, thesecond turning shaft 163 is disposed such that an axis o2 of the secondturning shaft 163 is positioned on the outward side of the battery 62A(62B) stored in the resin case portion 132F (132R) (refer to FIGS.20(c), 22(c), 24(c), and the like).

The operation lever 44 has an operation piece 44 b which extends in thevehicle width direction, and the left and right lever pieces 44 a whichare bent and extend substantially in an orthogonal direction from bothend portions of the operation piece 44 b. The intermediate regions ofthe left and right lever pieces 44 a in the extending direction aresupported by the left and right support stays 135 through the firstturning shaft 162. The left and right lever pieces 44 a are formed to bebent substantially in an L-shape in a side view (substantially anL-shape in which the distal end portion protrudes forward). Hereinafter,the operation piece 44 b side beyond a bent portion of the lever piece44 a will be referred to as a first extending portion 44 a-1, and a sideopposite to the operation piece 44 b beyond the bent portion will bereferred to as a second extending piece 44 a-2. In the left and rightlever pieces 44 a, substantially intermediate positions of the secondextending pieces 44 a-2 in the extending direction are supported by thesupport stays 135 with the first turning shaft 162 with therebetween.The upper end portions of the link plates 157 are turnably joined to thedistal end portions of the second extending pieces 44 a-2 with jointpins 164 therebetween.

Here, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the movable block 160 of the lockmechanism 133 has a pivot portion 160 a, a displacement restriction wall160 b (battery restriction portion), an elastic body block 160 c(battery restriction portion), a holding force receiving wall 160 d(holding force receiving portion), and a cam wall 160 e. The pivotportion 160 a is turnably supported by the second turning shaft 163. Thedisplacement restriction wall 160 b is continuously connected to thepivot portion 160 a, so that displacement of the battery 62A (62B) in arising direction can be restricted when it is displaced to the inwardregion of the resin case portion 132F (132R). The elastic body block 160c is attached to one surface of the displacement restriction wall 160 band directly abuts the upper surface of the battery 62A when thedisplacement restriction wall 160 b restricts displacement of thebattery 62A (62B) in the rising direction. At this time, the elasticbody block 160 c is elastically deformed and causes a repulsive force toact on the upper surface of the battery 62A.

The displacement restriction wall 160 b of the movable block 160 and theelastic body block 160 c (battery restriction portion) are constitutedto be positioned on the outward side of the battery 62A (62B) in thenon-battery-fixed state in a view in an insertion direction of thebattery 62A (62B) with respect to the resin case portion 132F (132R)(refer to FIG. 20(c)) and to overlap the battery 62A (62B) in thebattery-fixed state (refer to FIGS. 22(c) and 24(c)).

The holding force receiving wall 160 d is continuously connected to thepivot portion 160 a and extends in a direction in which it issubstantially at a right angle to the displacement restriction wall 160b around the second turning shaft 163. The holding force receiving wall160 d receives a holding load from the lever pieces 44 a of theoperation lever 44, and the displacement restriction wall 160 b and theelastic body block 160 c maintain a state where displacement of thebattery 62A (62B) in the rising direction is restricted. The cam wall160 e is a wall connecting both the displacement restriction wall 160 band the holding force receiving wall 160 d on the front portion side andhas a cam surface 160 e-1 smoothly connected in a direction of a rearsurface 160 d-1 (holding force receiving surface) of the holding forcereceiving wall 160 d from the displacement restriction wall 160 b side.

In the case of the present embodiment, the holding force receiving wall160 d (holding force receiving portion) is constituted to overlap thelever piece 44 a of the operation lever 44 in the battery-fixed state ina view in a direction along the first turning shaft 162 (refer to FIG.19).

The movable block 160 of the lock mechanism 133 can be turned between anunlock position at which the displacement restriction wall 160 b and theelastic body block 160 c are flipped up in accordance with turningoperation of the operation lever 44, and a lock position at which thedisplacement restriction wall 160 b and the elastic body block 160 ccollapse in an inward direction of the resin case portion 132F (132R) byapproximately 90°. The lock mechanism 133 is in the non-battery-fixedstate when the displacement restriction wall 160 b and the elastic bodyblock 160 c are at the unlock position, and it is in the battery-fixedstate when the displacement restriction wall 160 b and the elastic bodyblock 160 c are at the lock position. Each of the movable blocks 160 isbiased at all times in a flip-up direction by a spring (notillustrated).

At the time of the non-battery-fixed state, the operation lever 44 fallsforward to the maximum, and the operation piece 44 b of the operationlever 44 at this time is displaced to the front side beyond theinserting/removing port 136 (inner wall) of the resin case portion 132F(132R). The position of the operation lever 44 at this time will bereferred to as the initial position. In addition, at the time of thebattery-fixed state, the operation lever 44 is raised upward to therear, and the operation piece 44 b of the operation lever 44 at thistime is displaced to a position above the inserting/removing port 136 ofthe resin case portion 132F (132R).

In addition, a cam projection 165 bulging to the rear side is formed inthe first extending portion 44 a-1 of the lever piece 44 a of theoperation lever 44. When the operation lever 44 is raised upward to therear side from the initial position, the cam projection 165 abuts thecam surface 160 e-1 of the movable block 160 in a flipped-up state andpresses the movable block 160 in a turning direction while it comes intoslide contact with the cam surface 160 e-1. Accordingly, the movableblock 160 is turnably operated toward the lock position from the unlockposition. In this manner, when raising operation of the operation lever44 proceeds and a contact portion of the cam projection 165 reaches aterminal position of the cam surface 160 e-1, an inner side surface(surface toward the inward side in the vehicle width direction) of thelever piece 44 a abuts the rear surface 160 d-1 of the holding forcereceiving wall 160 d of the movable block 160. This state continuesuntil the operation lever 44 reaches a maximum pulling-up operationposition.

Incidentally, the lock mechanisms 133 and the terminal displacementmechanism 45 are operated using the common operation lever 44. Further,the operation state of each of the lock mechanisms 133 and the terminaldisplacement mechanism 45 is determined depending on a turning operationposition of the operation lever 44. The terminal displacement mechanism45 and the lock mechanisms 133 are associated with each other such thatthe lock mechanisms 133 fix the battery 62A (62B) due to operation ofthe operation lever 44 and the terminal displacement mechanism 45 causesthe case side connection terminals 43 to be displaced to the connectionposition P1 in the state thereof.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 20 to 26, a series of operations in whichthe battery 62A (62B) is fixed to the resin case portion 132F (132R)after the battery 62A (62B) is inserted into the resin case portion 132F(132R) and the case side connection terminals 43 are connected to theterminal portions 41 of the battery 62A (62B) will be described.

In the state illustrated in FIG. 20, the operation lever 44 is at theinitial position where it falls forward to the maximum. At this time,distal end portions of the lever pieces 44 a of the operation lever 44are positioned at lowermost positions, and the link plates 157 and theterminal holding member 149 of the terminal displacement mechanism 45are also displaced to the lowermost positions. The battery 62A (62B) isinserted into the resin case portion 132F (132R) in the state thereof.At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the case side connectionterminals 43 are positioned at the retreat position P2. In addition, themovable blocks 160 of the lock mechanisms 133 are positioned at theunlock position where they are flipped up.

When the operation lever 44 is subjected to raising operation from thisstate, as illustrated in FIG. 21, the cam projections 165 of theoperation lever 44 abut the cam surfaces 160 e-1 of the movable blocks160 and turn the movable blocks 160 in a direction of the lock positionwhile they come into slide contact with the cam surfaces 160 e-1.

At the beginning of start of operation of the operation lever 44, thelink plates 157 are pulled up by the lever pieces 44 a. However, sincethere is a play between the link plates 157 and the terminal holdingmember 149 due to the long holes 159 as described above, start of risingdisplacement of the terminal holding member 149 at this time is delayed.

When raising operation of the operation lever 44 proceeds, turning ofthe movable blocks 160 proceeds as illustrated in FIG. 22, and thus theelastic body blocks 160 c of the movable blocks 160 abut the uppersurface of the battery 62A. At this time, the terminal holding member149 of the terminal displacement mechanism 45 is pulled up by theoperation lever 44 with the link plates 157 therebetween such that it isdisplaced upward. In addition, at this time, as illustrated in FIG. 23,the guide projections 147 of the terminal support block 139 are fittedinto the guide holes 148 on the lower surface side of the battery 62A(62B). Accordingly, the positions of the terminal support block 139 andthe case side connection terminals 43 in a direction intersecting aterminal connection direction are subjected to fine adjustment.

When raising operation of the operation lever 44 further proceeds, thelever pieces 44 a of the operation lever 44 turn around and abut rearsurface sides of the holding force receiving walls 160 d of the movableblocks 160, as illustrated in FIG. 24. Accordingly, the displacementrestriction walls 160 b of the movable blocks 160 turn to apredetermined displacement restriction position, thereby restrictingdisplacement of the battery 62A (62B) in the rising direction with theelastic body blocks 160 c therebetween. At this time, as illustrated inFIG. 25, the terminal holding member 149 of the terminal displacementmechanism 45 is pulled up by the operation lever 44 with the link plates157 therebetween such that it further rises, and the case sideconnection terminals 43 are displaced to the connection position P1.Accordingly, the case side connection terminals 43 are fitted andconnected to the terminal portions 41 of the battery 62A (62B).

When the operation lever 44 is further operated in a raising directionby a predetermined amount from the state illustrated in FIG. 24, theterminal holding member 149 is further displaced upward in the terminaldisplacement mechanism 45, as illustrated in FIG. 26. At this time, thecoil springs 156 of the spring units 152 are compressed, and the caseside connection terminals 43 are pressed to the terminal portions 41 ofthe battery 62A (62B) with a predetermined load. Accordingly, locking ofthe battery 62A (62B) by the lock mechanisms 133 and terminal connectionby the terminal displacement mechanism 45 are completed.

In the case of the present embodiment, a mechanism, which informs anoperator of completion of operation by generating click sounds such astapping sounds when the operation lever 44 is operated to an operationcompletion position, is provided at an arbitrary place inside thebattery storage device 64.

FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional side view illustrating the batterystorage device 64 and the seat 8 when the operation lever 44 is in astate before operation is completed. FIG. 28 is a partialcross-sectional side view illustrating the battery storage device 64 andthe seat 8 when the operation lever 44 is in a state where operation hasbeen completed.

As illustrated in these diagrams, the seat 8 has a hinge axis 170 lyingin the vehicle width direction on the front end portion side and isturnably supported by the vehicle body about the hinge axis 170. Inaddition, a pair of projections 171A and 171B are provided away fromeach other in the front-rear direction on a rear surface of the seat 8.The projections 171A and 171B protrude downward from the rear surface ofthe seat 8. When the operation levers 44 at the front and the rear inthe battery storage device 64 are completely operated to the operationcompletion position (when the operation levers 44 are in a state ofbeing turnably operated to regular positions at which they are in thebattery-fixed state) as illustrated in FIG. 28, the pair of projections171A and 171B are provided such that they enter spaces in front of therespective operation levers 44 without coming into contact with theoperation levers 44. In addition, when the operation levers 44 at thefront and the rear in the battery storage device 64 are in a statebefore operation is completed (when the operation levers 44 are in astate at half-fixed positions before they arrive at the regularpositions) as illustrated in FIG. 27, the pair of projections 171A and171B are set such that they abut the upper surfaces of the operationpieces 44 b of the operation levers 44. Therefore, when any of theoperation levers 44 is not completely operated to the operationcompletion position, closing of the seat 8 is hindered by the projection117A or 117B. For this reason, a worker can be informed that theoperation levers 44 have not reached the operation completion position.

Depending on the positions of the operation levers 44, the projections171A and 171B abut the upper surfaces of the operation pieces 44 b ofthe operation levers 44 at the time of closing operation of the seat 8,and thus the operation levers 44 can be subjected to thrust operation tothe operation completion position.

In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, when the operationlevers 44 at the front and the rear are at the initial positions, theprojections 117A and 117B on the seat 8 side are set such that they donot enter the spaces behind the operation levers 44 and do not come intocontact with the operation levers 44.

As described above, the battery storage device 64 of the presentembodiment includes the lock mechanism 133 that is capable of fixing andholding the battery 62A or 62B stored in the battery case 42, and theoperation lever 44 that can operate the lock mechanism 133. Further, themovable block 160 of the lock mechanism 133 has the displacementrestriction wall 160 b which restricts displacement of the battery 62Aor 62B in the separation direction in a state of being displaced to thebattery fixing position, the elastic body block 160 c, and the holdingforce receiving wall 160 d which receives a holding force from theoperation lever 44 operated within a predetermined positional range.

For this reason, in the battery storage device 64 of the presentembodiment, displacement of the battery 62A or 62B in the separationdirection is restricted by the displacement restriction wall 160 b ofthe movable block 160 and the elastic body block 160 c in a state wherethe movable block 160 is displaced to the battery fixing position, andthe movable block 160 can be maintained at the battery fixing positionby the holding force receiving wall 160 d receiving a holding force fromthe operation lever 44 in the state thereof. Therefore, when the batterystorage device 64 of the present embodiment is employed, the battery 62Aor 62B can be firmly fixed to the battery case 42.

In the battery storage device 64 of the present embodiment, theoperation lever 44 is turnably supported about the first turning shaft162, and the movable block 160 of the lock mechanism 133 is turnablysupported about the second turning shaft 163 orthogonal to the firstturning shaft 162. For this reason, when a load in the separationdirection is input to the movable block 160 from the battery 62A or 62Bin a state where displacement of the battery 62A or 62B in theseparation direction is restricted by the displacement restriction wall160 b of the movable block 160 and the elastic body block 160 c, theoperation lever 44 is unlikely to be displaced integrally with themovable block 160. Therefore, when the battery storage device 64 of thepresent embodiment is employed, displacement of the battery 62A or 62Bin the separation direction can be restricted advantageously.

In addition, in the battery storage device 64 of the present embodiment,the cam surface 160 e-1 which comes into slide contact with theoperation lever 44 is provided in the movable block 160. When theoperation lever 44 turns in one direction about the first turning shaft162, the movable block 160 receives a turning operation force toward thebattery fixing position from the operation lever 44 through the camsurface 160 e-1. Further, the cam surface 160 e-1 of the movable block160 is continuously formed with the rear surface 160 d-1 of the holdingforce receiving wall 160 d. For this reason, when the operation lever 44is turnably operated in the lock direction, the operation lever 44firstly comes into slide contact with the cam surface 160 e-1 of themovable block 160 and turns the movable block 160 to the battery fixingposition. Thereafter, the operation lever 44 abuts the rear surface 160d-1 of the holding force receiving wall 160 d, such that the movableblock 160 is maintained at the battery fixing position. Therefore, whenthis constitution is employed, it is possible to smoothly turn themovable block 160 to the battery fixing position and maintain the fixedstate of the battery 62A or 62B through continuous turning operation ofthe operation lever 44.

In addition, in the battery storage device 64 of the present embodiment,the first turning shaft 162 is disposed such that the axis o1 which isthe operation center of the operation lever 44 overlaps the battery 62Aor 62B stored in the battery case 42. For this reason, the operationcenter of the operation lever 44 is disposed at a position which doesnot significantly deviate from the centers of gravity of the battery 62Aor 62B that is a heavy article. Therefore, when this constitution isemployed, the operation lever 44 can be stably subjected to turningoperation.

Moreover, in the case of the battery storage device 64 of the presentembodiment, the second turning shaft 163 is disposed such that the axiso2 which is the turning center of the movable block 160 of the lockmechanism 133 is positioned on the outward side of the battery 62A or62B stored in the battery case 42. For this reason, it is possible toeasily avoid interference of the movable block 160 with the battery 62Aor 62B when the battery 62A or 62B is inserted into the resin caseportion 132F or 132R of the battery case 42 or is taken out from theresin case portion 132F or 132R.

In addition, in the battery storage device 64 of the present embodiment,the displacement restriction wall 160 b (battery restriction portion ofthe movable block 160) and the elastic body block 160 c are constitutedto be positioned on the outward side of the battery 62A or 62B in thenon-battery-fixed state in a view in the insertion direction of thebattery 62A or 62B and to overlap the battery 62A or 62B in thebattery-fixed state. For this reason, it is possible to avoidinterference of the displacement restriction wall 160 b or the elasticbody block 160 c of the movable block 160 with the battery 62A or 62Bwhen the battery 62A or 62B is inserted into the resin case portion 132For 132R of the battery case 42 or is taken out from the resin caseportion 132F or 132R. In addition, displacement of the battery 62A or62B in the separation direction can be restricted reliably by thedisplacement restriction wall 160 b or the elastic body block 160 c ofthe movable block 160 when the battery 62A or 62B is fixed to thebattery case 42.

Moreover, in the battery storage device 64 of the present embodiment,the holding force receiving wall 160 d of the movable block 160 isconstituted to overlap the lever piece 44 a of the operation lever 44 inthe battery-fixed state in a view in a direction along the first turningshaft 162. For this reason, a holding force can act efficiently on themovable block 160 from the operation lever 44 in a state where theoperation lever 44 is operated such that the lever piece 44 a ispositioned on the outward side of the holding force receiving wall 160 dof the movable block 160 in the vehicle width direction.

In addition, in the battery storage device 64 of the present embodiment,the occupant seat 8 is provided to be turnably flipped up above thebattery case 42, and the projections 171A and 171B are provided on therear surface of the seat 8. Further, the projections 171A and 171B areconstituted not to come into contact with the operation lever 44 whenthe seat 8 is closed in a state where the operation lever 44 is turnablyoperated to the regular position at which the operation lever 44 is inthe battery-fixed state and to abut the operation lever 44 when the seat8 is closed in a state where the operation lever 44 is at the half-fixedposition before the operation lever 44 arrives at the regular position.For this reason, when the operation lever 44 is reliably subjected toturning operation to the regular position, the seat 8 can be smoothlyclosed without causing the projections 171A and 171B and the operationlever 44 to come into contact with each other. On the other hand, whenthe operation lever 44 is in a state at the half-fixed position, theprojections 171A and 171B on the lower surface of the seat 8 abut theoperation lever 44, so that a worker can be informed of insufficientturning operation of the operation lever 44.

In addition, even if the operation lever 44 is in a state at thehalf-fixed position, depending on a turning stop position of theoperation lever 44, the operation lever 44 can also be thrust to theregular position by the projections 171A and 171B at the time of closingoperation of the seat 8.

The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment, andvarious design changes can be made within a range not departing from thegist thereof.

In addition, vehicles employing the battery storage device of thepresent invention are not limited to motorcycles and can also includesaddle-type three-wheel vehicles having two front wheels and one rearwheel, four-wheel vehicles, and the like.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 Motorcycle (vehicle)

42 Battery case

44 Operation lever (operation member)

62A, 62B Battery

64 Battery storage device

133 Lock mechanism

160 Movable block

160 b Displacement restriction wall (battery restriction portion)

160 c Elastic body block (battery restriction portion)

160 d Holding force receiving wall (holding force receiving portion)

160 e-1 Cam surface

162 First turning shaft

163 Second turning shaft

o1 Axis

o2 Axis

What is claim is:
 1. A battery storage device of a vehicle comprising: abattery case that stores a battery; a lock mechanism that is capable offixing and holding the stored battery in the battery case; and anoperation member that is constituted separately from the lock mechanismand is capable of performing switching operation of the lock mechanismbetween a battery-fixed state and a non-battery-fixed state, wherein thelock mechanism includes a movable block which is supported by thebattery case in a displaceable manner, wherein the movable block has abattery restriction portion which abuts an upper surface of the batteryand restricts displacement of the battery in a separation direction in astate of being displaced to a battery fixing position, and a holdingforce receiving portion which is continuously connected to the batteryrestriction portion and receives a holding force for maintaining themovable block at the battery fixing position from the operation memberin a state where the operation member is operated within a predeterminedpositional range.
 2. The battery storage device of a vehicle accordingto claim 1, wherein the operation member is turnably supported about afirst turning shaft, and wherein the movable block is turnably supportedabout a second turning shaft orthogonal to the first turning shaft. 3.The battery storage device of a vehicle according to claim 2, whereinthe movable block has a cam surface which comes into slide contact withthe operation member and receives a turning operation force toward thebattery fixing position from the operation member when the operationmember turns in one direction about the first turning shaft, and the camsurface is continuously formed with the holding force receiving portion.4. The battery storage device of a vehicle according to claim 2, whereinthe first turning shaft is disposed such that an axis of the firstturning shaft overlaps the battery stored in the battery case, andwherein the second turning shaft is disposed such that the axis of thesecond turning shaft is positioned on an outward side of the batterystored in the battery case.
 5. The battery storage device of a vehicleaccording to claim 4, wherein the battery restriction portion isconstituted to be positioned on the outward side of the battery in thenon-battery-fixed state in a view in an insertion direction of thebattery and to overlap the battery in the battery-fixed state.
 6. Thebattery storage device of a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein theholding force receiving portion is constituted to overlap the operationmember in the battery-fixed state in a view in a direction along thefirst turning shaft.
 7. The battery storage device of a vehicleaccording to claim 2, wherein an occupant seat is provided to beturnably flipped up above the battery case, and wherein the seat isprovided with projections which do not come into contact with theoperation member when the seat is closed in a state where the operationmember is turnably operated to a regular position at which the operationmember is in the battery-fixed state and abuts the operation member whenthe seat is closed in a state where the operation member is at ahalf-fixed position before the operation member arrives at the regularposition.
 8. A battery storage device of a vehicle comprising: a batterycase that stores a battery; a lock mechanism that is capable of fixingand holding the stored battery in the battery case; and an operationmember that is capable of performing switching operation of the lockmechanism between a battery-fixed state and a non-battery-fixed state,wherein the lock mechanism includes a movable block which is supportedby the battery case in a displaceable manner, wherein the movable blockhas a battery restriction portion which restricts displacement of thebattery in a separation direction in a state of being displaced to abattery fixing position, and a holding force receiving portion whichreceives a holding force for maintaining the movable block at thebattery fixing position from the operation member in a state where theoperation member is operated within a predetermined positional range,wherein the operation member is turnably supported about a first turningshaft, wherein the movable block is turnably supported about a secondturning shaft orthogonal to the first turning shaft, wherein the firstturning shaft is disposed such that an axis of the first turning shaftoverlaps the battery stored in the battery case, and wherein the secondturning shaft is disposed such that the axis of the second turning shaftis positioned on an outward side of the battery stored in the batterycase.